Judge blocks Trump's $2.2 billion Harvard funding freeze
A federal judge on Wednesday stopped the Trump administration's attempt to axe $2.2 billion in research funding for Harvard University.
In an 84-page order, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs concluded that the Trump administration "used antisemitism as a smokescreen" to unlawfully block billions in research funding.
"We must fight against antisemitism, but we equally need to protect our rights, including our right to free speech, and neither goal should nor needs to be sacrificed on the altar of the other," Judge Burroughs wrote in her order.
"Now it is the job of the courts to similarly step up, to act to safeguard academic freedom and freedom of speech as required by the Constitution, and to ensure that important research is not improperly subjected to arbitrary and procedurally infirm grant terminations, even if doing so risks the wrath of a government committed to its agenda no matter the cost," she wrote.
Trump in April froze $2.2 billion in Harvard grants and $60 million in contracts following the school's refusal to budge on the government's demands after the administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism alleged the school failed to confront antisemitism on campus.
The administration's actions "have jeopardized decades of research and the welfare of all those who could stand to benefit from that research, as well as reflect a disregard for the rights protected by the Constitution and federal statutes," Judge Burroughs wrote.
But the decision is a pyrrhic victory for Harvard, with the judge also concluding that Harvard is "plagued by antisemitism in recent years and could (and should) have done a better job of dealing with the issue."
"Defendants and the President are right to combat antisemitism and to use all lawful means to do so. Harvard was wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did," she wrote.
While the Trump administration cited antisemitism as a basis to cancel funds, Judge Burroughs said the actual reason was the president's "power and political views." She noted that the Trump administration's demands on admissions, governance, and staffing had little relationship with antisemitism, undercutting the government's claims.
"[T]here is, in reality, little connection between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism," the judge wrote.
University President Alan Garber said the judge's ruling "affirms Harvard’s First Amendment and procedural rights" in a letter to the Harvard community.
"We will continue to assess the implications of the opinion, monitor further legal developments, and be mindful of the changing landscape in which we seek to fulfill our mission," Garber added.
